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Director of Lab Operations – Neonatal Laboratory

Location: Dallas, TX
Schedule: Monday–Friday | Day Shift
Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent

Lighthouse Lab Services is excited to represent a growing neonatal clinical laboratory in Dallas, TX that is seeking an experienced Director of Lab Operations to provide operational, technical, and strategic leadership within a high-complexity laboratory environment focused on newborn and neonatal testing.

This role is responsible for comprehensive laboratory operations, regulatory compliance, personnel leadership, and continuous improvement across neonatal testing departments, including Newborn Screening, Dried Blood Spot (DBS), Chemistry, and Immunology.

Position Overview

The Director of Lab Operations is a key member of the laboratory leadership team, accountable for ensuring operational excellence, regulatory compliance, scalability, and high-quality testing in support of neonatal patient care. This individual partners closely with executive leadership, quality, and technical teams to support growth while maintaining the highest standards of accuracy, efficiency, and compliance in a neonatal laboratory setting.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide senior-level oversight of all neonatal laboratory operations, ensuring daily workflows comply with CLIA, CAP (if applicable), state regulations, and internal SOPs
• Lead, mentor, and manage laboratory supervisors, technologists, and accessioning staff across all testing areas
• Own laboratory staffing strategy, including scheduling, coverage planning, onboarding, training, competency assessment, and succession planning
• Ensure continuous CLIA compliance, inspection readiness, and effective execution of corrective and preventive actions (CAPA)
• Oversee testing performance, quality indicators, proficiency testing, deviations, and continuous process improvement initiatives
• Direct and/or delegate instrument validation, method verification, maintenance, and troubleshooting for neonatal testing platforms
• Partner with Quality and Technical leadership to develop, review, implement, and maintain SOPs, policies, and training materials
• Maintain and enhance QA/QC programs, documentation, data trending, and quality reporting
• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal stakeholders, vendors, and service providers to resolve operational or technical issues
• Drive workflow optimization, scalability, and automation initiatives to support laboratory growth and testing volume increases
• Serve as a senior escalation point and subject matter expert for technical, operational, and personnel challenges
• Perform additional duties as assigned to support laboratory and organizational objectives

Candidate Profile

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Biology, Medical Technology, Clinical Laboratory Science, or a related scientific discipline
• 6+ years of experience in a high-complexity clinical laboratory, preferably with neonatal or newborn screening testing
• Proven leadership experience managing laboratory teams, workflows, and multi-department operations
• Strong working knowledge of CLIA regulations and laboratory compliance requirements
• Hands-on experience with Dried Blood Spot (DBS) testing required
• Experience with newborn screening assays preferred
• Familiarity with Roche analyzers, Panthera Punchers, and automated liquid handling systems required
• Demonstrated ability to lead through change, scale operations, and drive continuous improvement in a regulated environment

Benefits and Salary

• 110-130k
• Health, Vision, Dental
• PTO

About us:

At Lighthouse Lab Services, we offer solutions to help start, grow, and run clinical laboratories. Our recruiting team has over 18 years of proven success placing job seekers in positions ranging from entry-level Medical Technologists to seasoned Laboratory Directors. We recruit nationwide, for permanent and travel positions with clients ranging from small hospitals to large reference laboratories.

It is the policy of Lighthouse Lab Services to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Lighthouse Lab Services is committed to working and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including persons with disabilities.

If at any time during the application process, you need an accommodation, please contact recruiting@lighthouselabservices.com for assistance.

Lighthouse Lab Services | 844-974-1929 | lighthouselabservices.com

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